(GO Transit issued the following news release on April 29.)
TORONTO — Starting May 1, GO Transit will have another tool in its belt to help fight the battle against aggressive driving and railway track trespassing that can often end in tragedy.
The Near Collision Reporting Program allows GO Transit’s train and trackwork crews to record information about drivers and pedestrians who deliberately disobey railway crossing signals and signs, often trying to “beat the train.”
This information helps GO Transit Enforcement or the railway police lay appropriate charges. Regardless if charges are laid, a Near Collision Notice is sent to the registered owner of the vehicle. This notice will inform the owner that his or her vehicle was involved in a near collision with a train, the details of the violation, as well as rail safety information.
GO Transit is launching this program during national Operation Lifesaver Rail Safety Awareness Week, April 28 to May 4. The program is a cooperative effort between GO Transit, Canadian National Railway, Canadian Pacific Railway, Pacific Northern Rail Contractors Inc., Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, and Operation Lifesaver.
GO officials, partnering with York Region, York Regional Police, andCanadian National Railway Police, will also be keeping a close eye out for unsafe behaviour near railway tracks in the GO service area during a levelcrossing safety blitz starting April 30.